Soil blocks were popularized by Elliot Coleman years ago, in one of his Winter Harvest books if I recall correctly. I used soil blocks for several years but have gone back to the trays for several reasons: 1. Air pruning doesn’t always seem to work and sometimes the roots overlap with other blocks (so the same problem you noted with the trays). 2. From my observations where I experimented with both methods in my last year of using the blocks, there really is no marked difference in transplanting impact or plant health. 3. Finding the right recipe for the soil is a real pain especially when ingredients are not always available (here in Ottawa Canada) - nothing more frustrating than having your blocks break down later when watering. 4. Seeding seems faster and easier using the trays - but then I am a home gardener and not a pro like you and dont seed the enormous amounts like you do for your business. Once again, I really appreciate you sharing your expertise and knowledge. I thought that I would share my observations having been a soil block convert before switching back - the trays just work better for me :-).
air pruning can fail from too frequent watering, if the sides of the soil blocks are always wet you lose the effect and with it the quality improvement compared to trays.
@Mike Barnes Not to mention getting some plastic out of the environment. Worth the effort even if there was no difference, but the advantages are clear to me and getting the right soil mix is not rocket science. The only blocker we can't get in Canada is the 32 size. If anyone knows a supplier msg me please ! I got mine from West Coast Seeds in BC. I'm in Quebec.
My mother used a 4-block model back in the 80s. This video brought back wonderful memories. I’m a volunteer land manager for a senior community (I’m the energetic one 😄). Last year was all about cleaning up the neglect. This year is about getting a team of senior neighbors involved. Next year I’m planning vegetables, and this is exactly what I will be guiding the team to do. 😊 Some nice raised beds and trellises, happy soil blocks of veggie sprouts, luscious living organic soil….yep, I can see it happening. Thanks for the trip down memory lane and the inspiration for improvements going forward. 😊
Been using soil blocks for a long time. Glad to see people starting to use them more its crazy how much healthier and how much better the germination is in them
Josh Sattin I’m guessing it’s the smaller units which are out of stock. Ladbrooke is having a hard time with orders due to full COVID-19 lockdown in GB.
Love the idea of soil blocks! Reduces plastics in my garden, and in my body. I find bits of degraded plastics in my soil from products past, and now I try my best to keep it out of my garden.
I’m so excited to see this! I’m just a beginner gardener. But I saw soil blocks and thought - how good to reduce plastic waste. And who doesn’t love making mud pies?
I'd like to add two things you might want to mention. Ist, it's very helpful to give your blocker a quick dunk in a bucket of water between refills to give you more crisp perfect blocks. 2nd, the mesh bottom trays from Bootstrap Farmer are way superior to the mesh trays from Johnny's. They are so much more ridged, heavy duty, and not so bendy. I've been at soil blocks for 4 years now and as far as I'm concerned it's the only way to go. Great video Josh, as always.........
This was my first year using soil blocks and I LOVE them. I was skeptical about whether they would stay together but they have worked great and it does seem like the plants themselves are stronger. There is a bit of a learning curve getting the soil to water consistency right.
I love my soil blocker! I do put them in regular 1020 trays and bottom water. I just make sure they are transplanted either to a larger pot or to the garden before the roots start going crazy on the bottom. I also use the 2" hand blocker, so my blocks are a little bit bigger to accommodate the seedlings a bit longer. I did try the 3/4" blocker a few times and I really never liked it at all. Those tiny block dried out way too fast and really didn't seem worth the extra effort to me.
I was already committed to trays when you posted this, but after moving and having to replace because of damage I decided to give these from Johnny’s a try. I wish I had watched this again before starting some greens and micro tomatoes for inside winter experiments, but I’m overall pretty happy with them so far. I did get the tiny 20 block and will up pot to the 2in with the optional divot for those blocks. If I had to do it over I’d likely just stick with the 1 inch for small starts like you do, and two for stuff that takes longer like peppers. I started the peppers in the blocks too but am not sure how it’s going to go.
Winstrip trays...just as good of a transplant as a block and without the whole arm and shoulder soreness! I blocked for years, they are nice but some physical downsides for sure if you are making a lot of blocks each week.
Good on you Josh, I'm glad you're dumping the plastic. Coincidentally, I did some blocking myself today, except I made my own trays with wood and 1/2 inch hardware cloth for the bottoms. I made them to fit the soil blockers perfectly since they are all the same size. I designed them so the blocks don't flop around like they do in 1020 trays. I used the 20 block blocker because I can't get the 32 size here in Canada, and I don't want to deal with the exchange and duty + + ... as much as I like Johnny's it's too much money over what an American would pay. So what I'll do instead is take my 20 size blocks with tomatoes planted in them and just make a hand made 'Jessie ball' around it and see how that goes. Ideally it would be a 32 block into a 6 block. Hopefully a Canadian company will also carry the 32.
I love my soil blocker. I think a soil blocker is as good as the soil you use for the blocks, I have had some major failures if the soil didn't hold together we'll enough or was so dense the roots didn't penetrate well. The biggest draw back I have seen is I need to put significant amount of room between my blocks to prevent them growing into each other and properly air prune.
Great information I just got my hand blocker 2" been wanting one for two years but it was beyond the budget. A backyard gardener here. I have watched you build the farm and just dream of doing similar as a home gardener. Thanks..
used to use soil block maker and found that it was a lot more time consuming. also to use colemans recipe for the soil its a lot more (for me) gathering all the components (green sand is hard to find_. the fine mist water wand would be the way to go to water the soil blocks to not over water and damage the block. my opinion on the small scale sure it would be fine but on a commercial fast paced scale i wouldn't suggest it. using the paper pot trays without the paper pot transplanter is the way to go if you didn't want to purchase the whole kit to transplant really fast. overall good video and thanks for the content.
I’m curious about a comparison of root expansion after transplanting as I’m often disappointed to find many of my plants seem to still think their space is restricted and their roots rarely branch out when they’re in the ground. This may also be a soil or water imbalance but I’m super curious whether these would fix that issue.
Video just at the right time, ty. Instead of water... could you use some compost tea; do you think the organisms would survive? What average time frame before transplanting ? Have a great day.
what about air pruning indestructible plug trays? I used to make soil blocks, and still do in some contexts, BUT I evolved to air pruning plug trays because of speed and less volume of soil needed since I am trying to make all my own leaf mold and compost for transplants. Just curious if you have thought about this. I did not watch your video. I apologize if this is covered in your vid. Your vid was recommended to me and I figured I'd briefly share my experience
I'd say soil blocks are about 10 or 20 % better than air pruning winstrip trays depending on plant type, in terms of transplant shock, HOWEVER I can fill those trays and sow in about a quarter of the time as soil blocks. I find that the transplants are robust and you can toss them around and abuse them. They are robust. Tiny plants with big fibrous root systems. I think you will like them better. That's just my opinion but I am thinking you will like Winstrips trays more. I'm not a business but I think winstrips are better. I think you may disagree however I'm looking from the perspective of being compost independent so I may be a bit too radical thinking. I am just about compost independent for my own food though so I feel confident that wood or winstrip airpruning trays are best if you are looking to become completely free of outside inputs
I started tomatoes and put them in a germ chamber. Not expecting growth for at least a week, I went on a short vacation. I planted on Saturday, when I got back on Wednesday they were 4 inches tall and very leggy. I moved them under grow lights immediately. Now true leaves are forming but they have laid over. Can I save them by repotting them deeper or should I start over?
That's so cool! Great video! Been trying to find a nice alternative to trays, and only just come across "soil blockers" I'm sold! A question though.. How resilient are the blocks, I kind of figured they would disintegrate as soon as you have at them with the watering?!
It sounds like the seedlings in these blocks are only meant to be in there for a couple weeks? What about plants that need to start early before last frost date (I.e. peppers tomatoes basil or slow growing things like lavender or rosemary), do you just keep “up potting” to bigger soil blocks???? Thanks!
You can indeed up-pot to bigger blocks. They make them quite big. But those are expensive. (Worth it? Up to you.) What I do is start my tiny seeds in the micro-20 (3/4") blocker, then up-block to the 2" blocks. After that, if it's not warm enough for transplant I'll up-pot into a red SOLO cup (yours doesn't necessarily have to be red) and grow them out in those. One very nice thing about a SOLO cup is they're the same size and shape as a bulb digger... so I can use the bulb digger to dig the hole, pull out a plug of soil and drop in the entire plug from the SOLO cup. No muss, no fuss, no confusion. Very convenient. (If you DO NOT want to use plastic, like solo cups, you could use the cartons that milk and half-and-half come in. A half-gallon carton holds a half-gallon of soil. Use it, destroy it, recycle or compost after. This is what I used to sprout and grow an avocado pit a few years ago.) This worked quite well for me, so I'm betting it will work just fine for you, too.
I grow Microgreens and used some samples from tilth soil. My greens didn't perform as well as they do with pro mix from Sun gro. I think I may have been over watering the tilth soil seemed to have better water retention.
Hey Ron, we would love to chat with you to hear what happened and how we might be able to continue to improve our product, please feel free to reach out so we can learn a bit from your experience.
Great video as always! My one question I have is this system looks to be simple and fast but my question is after you get it all seeded out how do you keep it watered without the blocks falling apart! It seems to me as it gets wet it would just fall away from itself without a pot or tray for support?
I went to the 2" this year and had some cafeteria trays that I placed them on. Bottom watered and wow the roots did air prune while holding together so well. I'm a convert and love making the blocks actually. So easy to pot them up and great video Josh! 🌱👍
I have successfully germinated squash, pumpkins and zucchinis in 2" soil blocks (using the Mini-4 blocker). They LOVE to grow so you have to watch them. When they sprout, transplant them directly to the garden if it's warm enough, or up-pot them to red SOLO cups (not that it's necessary that they're actually red - go with whatever suits you), until the soil is ready. I was lucky enough that I could transplant my soil-block squash seedling directly in the garden and they grew like Jack's beanstalk. Appropriate, now that I think on it, as pink banana squash truly is giant. I was also able to germinate a bunch of melons and watermelons. They failed miserably in my garden, but the soil blocks worked just fine for sprouting them. (Last year was my first successful melon harvest. 100% volunteer! LOL) Hope this helps.
Do you think using a. 1-1/2 inch soil block is usable for smaller herb seeds? Also, if I use a soil block and I don’t put it outdoors right away, can I put the blocks under LED lights? If They are under lights.. how do I know when it is time to transplant them outside or in containers? Thank you so very much - Shivani
I like to plant cucumbers in a greenhouse, their seeds should be thrown into the ground and the result is already visible and there is a lot of harvest. Green lettuce is also unpretentious, growing quickly
I looked at your soil link, the offer 4 different products, which of the 4 are u using? Exactly how do u cover the seed for the best possible germination?
Paul, we're happy to answer any questions you might have about our products but Josh is right, Sprout is the ideal product for soil blocking and germination. Feel free to reach out directly if we can help further: info (at) TilthSoil (dot) com
As I mentioned in the video, I am seeing better results now. I made starts in plug trays and soil blocks both with the same potting mix (different than Tilth). I have also seen great results with the Tilth soil.
What is the timeframe from seeding to planting on the Salinova? I have been growing Salinova in soil blocks (2") and always find the growth to be slow for some reason. I grow under a Mars Hydro light with a par meter and good air circulation and I'm looking at 8-10 days from planting the seed to the time I see the first true leaves (slower than leaf lettuce varieties). I have to watch the weather before moving them out under floating row covers (on drip with fabric) here in New England. This year I tried ProMix for blocks to cut down the prep time.
I really think you need to watch Charles Dowding over here in the UK and by the way he had a large farm years ago. I tried soil blocks nope and has the soil mix you’re stating is peat based ? Cheers 🍻
I am very much aware of Charles' work and love what he does. I also interviewed him here: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-X0lY3MZDXas.html
Try the winstrip tray next season. They are a bit pricey, but looks like a one time investment with as durable they are. I loved the results I saw this year.
@@North_Carolina_Homestead I asked Melinda before, but she already carries a bunch of potting mix. Feel free to ask them about Tilth whenever you are there. They do value customer feedback a lot.
Pause the video. Go get a friend, bottle of your favorite adult beverage, and a couple of shot glasses. Now, take a shot every time you hear, "soil blocks".
There are way too many disadvantages to soil blocks. I grow seedlings in sifted compost in heavy duty trays. When seedlings at just right moisture, they pop right out.
They wouldn't work for me - subtropics with seedlings on an outdoor table under the open sky. Plus, I can't afford the soil blocker, so it *really* wouldn't work for me, lol
When I was 13 years old, in 1953, I got a job for the summer at a truck farm (market farm) with two other 13-year-olds, and we got paid 45c per hour. We were for weeding and other chores. I really enjoyed working on that farm. The thing that impressed me about that farm though is after I grew older and remembered that the farmer supported himself and his wife, his son, and his son's family with children and built a new brick house off of 13 acres.
@IanCdnMerkaba ... wow.. at 13, i was making 5 cents an hour in 69 doing yard work on a farm. Couple years later i got to 15 cents plowing and mucking and eventually got to 25 cents milking.
Good Luck ! There are some of the larger units still available, but availability of the smaller ones is a challenge due to the COVID-19 lockdown in GB. The company who makes the blockers, Ladbrooke is based there.
Please stop blaming the effects of an authoritarian lockdown on a virus. The two are mutually exclusive and each deserves its due. They are talking about "climate lockdown" now. Too many freedoms have been lost
I was thinking that would work 😊 I want to try one with a cricket ball or two in it for threshing grain too. It would have to work. I’m pretty sure. I haven’t seen anyone do it though.
I've got the 2", 1.5" and the little 3/4' blockers. Use the tiny one for the small seeds, and the medium one for Chard and seeds in that size range. I use the 2" blocker for peas, corn, and beans. I use my own mix, and to help the blocks stay together, I mix in grass clippings that I chop up smaller with some scissors to act as a binder. I find that I get better results by hand packing the "tops" first then the body of the blocker. That gives me a firmer top that doesn't blow out when I press them out. I also have a block of wood that I press the filled blocker on to compress the soil some more. I also use the 45 quart storage containers that Costco sells with the clear lids as "mini green houses".
Hi Josh, I’ve learned si munch watching your videos. Great job. I like the way you teach. You really do it with a pedagogical approach. Would you do a video about potting soil and fertilizing potting soil. How do you feed your seedlings
Love your videos! You always walk us through every steps and explain it so well. I'm new at this so it can be so overwhelming but not only do you explain the steps you actually walk us through it. Thank you!
Yep. Great move Josh! Getting rid of my trays was the best move for me so far. I also don't even use the soil block anymore. I just make soil "balls" by forming them in my hands and then putting a small indentation on the top for the seed. Last Sunday I made 65 soil balls (took maybe 30 minutes), placed one corn seed in each, and now (one week later) they are already 4 inches tall. There has been zero transplant shock. Great video brutha!
@@joeykoehn6038 omg you just solved my conundrum. I want to try soil blocks without investing a bunch of cash. Ice cream scoop to the rescue. A half-ball sounds perfect to give the roots some space
Hi Josh. Thanks for this great educational video. Question: can soil blocks be used in preparing seedlings for hydroponic farming? Or will the soil collapse and get washed away.
I have been using the 2" hand blocker and love it. I dunk the blocker in water between each block that I make and find the rinse helps. Excellent video!
Thanks for the suggestion! I’ll give that a try the next time I experiment with these. The last two rounds had some sections that kept getting stuck and I bet that would solve that issue.
Now I wish I had hunted for the 1" block maker. For my small scale, I got the combo deal for the mini blocker and the 2" blocker and did lettuce in mini blocks, then potted them up to 2"
I'm so glad the experiment worked out. I've been very happy with my soil blocks for the most part. I have made the mistake of over watering some flower starts and they didn't germinate. But that would have been solved of I had open bottom trays.
I got soil blockers the 2” ones but i love the 1” i don’t have that one! I shift the soil before making blocks don’t wanna get sticks in their. Then just sprinkle vermiculite on top or perlite.
